


Slow Motion

by Achrya



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Explicit Language, Extremely Dubious Consent, F/M, Light BDSM, M/M, Multi, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2015-05-25
Packaged: 2018-03-25 11:35:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3808909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Achrya/pseuds/Achrya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For years Natsu has been hiding his true nature as an Omega; Lucy is the only person who really understands. But now things are out of control and as much as he resists he may just need someone to save him from himself, no matter how much he hates it. Gray steps in out of necessity but with Natsu fighting him every step of the way is it actually worth the struggle or would it be better to just let the Dragon Slayer implode on his own terms.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dynamics for the Growing Magic User

 

Excerpt from “Dynamics for the Growing Magic User’

 

In the world of magic there are those who work it innately and those who simply live in world shaped by it. Mages, Wizards, Witches...all names placed on those who work magic to some degree; within the society of magical users there are levels and while these levels do not dictate power level they do influence social standing and possibility to a degree.

The Levels are as followed

Alpha: The top of the dynamic ladder, thought to make up about 13% of the wizard population. A true Alpha will be strong and forceful in nature, always the dominant person in their relationships,  able to command a room, demand respect, and lead when needed. They can been seen as cold and calculating, so in control it’s almost unhealthy. They are known to be single minded and while others will always place faith in the Alpha the Alpha’s greatest weakness will be faith in himself.

The Alpha will posses the ability to identify the ‘status’ of other Mage’s based on scent alone. An Alpha will try to form familial bonds whenever possible, as they tend to not do well on their own or without a ‘pack’. Alphas’ rarely mate with alphas.

A surprisingly larger number of the worst atrocities in history have been committed by Alphas.

Beta: The second level of the ladder and most common; thought to make up 75% of the wizard population. Betas are well rounded with no inherent weakness or issues. They don’t go into ruts like alphas do or into heats like gammas and omegas, and are capable of mating with any dynamic, including their own.

Gamma (Also called Lesser Omegas): The third level on the ladder and second most rare at 7% of the wizard population, a Gamma is the first step onto the submissive side of the spectrum. Natural followers and helpers. Those on the Dominate spectrum will find themselves drawn to Gammas and take comfort in their (usually) sunny and calming personality. Mild tempered, mild personalities...they make the perfect mate for just about any rung of the ladder.

A Gamma has none of the Alpha control and identification ability but will possess keen insight and observation skills, in most cases. They can sway people to their side not through command, but by request. The difference between an Omega and a Gamma lies in heat cycles; Gammas have a relatively mild heat in comparison to Omegas; with the use of birth control and suppressants Gammas are able to continue their usual day to day activities.

Gammas throughout history have often been pegged as manipulative and selfish, using their natural abilities to push events into their favor.

Will mate with alphas and betas and occasionally other gammas but rarely with omegas.

Omega: The fourth rung on the ladder and most rare dynamic at 5% of the wizard population, an Omega is on the most extreme end of the submissive spectrum. They are often emotional and prone to being driven not by logic but by their feelings, They have extreme highs and extreme lows and are considered forces of nature, sweeping up those around them and changing the world around them to suit their needs. An Omega on a rampage is all but unstoppable. As such they are perceived as volatile and dangerous (depending of magical power level) as well as weak minded and willed. They are the only ‘protected’ rung and as soon as their reach the age to go into heat a search for a proper mate will begin.

Unmated Omegas are, as they get older, prone to violent and self destructive behavior when they go into heat. For this reason it is suggested that Omegas mate early and without delay for their own well being..

Omegas rarely mate with other omegas.

Upon coming of age (Usually around the age of 11 or 12) a Mage will be assessed by their areas head of Status and informed of their status. Alphas, Betas, and Gammas will proceed about their lives as normal with only occasional classes to ensure that their natural gifts aren’t abused or used improperly, where Omega’s will be cataloged, marked, and placed into protection until a mate is found.

  
  
  



	2. Who I want to Take Me Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something I started some months ago and then kinda sat and now is no longer sitting as I think I have my plot sorted out. 
> 
> Unbetaed, so all mistakes are a result of my own lackluster editing ability.

Makarov shuffled through the pile of papers on his desk. The head of Status for Magnolia Town and the surrounding areas had assessed the latest group of mages, given his findings and gone about his way about an hour ago. Makarov was to make sure he was aware of the findings then send them off the council to be catalogued and proper action taken.

Proper action usually involved making sure he was aware of any classes and assessments that would be coming up and see to it that the young members of his guild made it to them. Eventually they’d get older and not need his reminders and with that all of his dealings with their romantic futures would end, which is a moment he looked forward to every time.

There was something very...creepy about how tightly the council controlled the mating futures of mages. It hadn’t always been this way and he could understand, to a degree, why it was necessary. People had gotten hurt, natures had caused problems and friction, wars had literally be fought. But he wasn’t sure this was the best alternative.

It was so very invasive, and yet accepted without question.

“You wanted to see me?” Natsu’s voice broke him out of his thoughts. The pink haired boy-teenager- was standing in his doorway, looking very nervous. Natsu was ever the ball of energy, shifting from one foot to the other while his eyes darted around nervously.

“Come inside. Shut the door.” Makarov said while making a gesture with his hand. Natsu did as told then, cautiously, stepped closer. Natsu always had a way of picking up the mood in a room, even when he had no idea what was actually going on. A natural empath, on top of his other considerably skills, perhaps. It wasn’t uncommon in those of his dynamic. “The Status Head brought me your results.”

Natsu flinched just slightly; Makarov noted the reaction but said nothing. The Status Head wasn’t supposed to inform the young mages of their findings but then Natsu had a way of wheedling information out of those who weren’t supposed to reveal it.

Dark eyes stared at him from behind a fringe of pink, pupil narrowing and becoming almost reptilian for a moment. Then the teen blinked, gaze suddenly becoming wet.

“I don’t want to be an Omega!” The words burst forth, determined and hot. Natsu clenched his fists at his side and flames started to form, dancing around his hands.

So much emotion and power in one so young.

“I’m afraid it’s not the sort of thing we get a choice in.” Makarov said, trying to keep his tone soothing. He didn’t enjoy this any more than Natsu was. He thought of all of the Guild members as his children, but perhaps Natsu more than some of the others. He remembered finding the boy, lost and alone and he remembered how he’d felt drawn to him immediately. He’d never really had any doubt that taking the pink haired child in was the best course of action; in a way there had been no other choice.

“NO!” Tears escaped, lingering for a moment on tan skin before turning to steam and hissing away. “I won’t. I know about them. They’re weak and the council hides them away and won’t let them do anything. I won’t! I’m strong! I’ll be the strongest! Don’t let them take me away!”

A dozen responses responses caught in Makarov’s throat. He could tell him that the Omega Separation Act was for the safety of all Omegas, could lecture him about the battles that had been fought between young lust blinded Mages, could explain that as Natsu got older and the heat cycles began that things would become ‘complicated’, could tell him that being an Omega wasn’t tantamount to weakness, even if that’s how people made it seem.

But in the end he just looked down at the papers again.

_Name: Natsu Dragneel_

_Dynamic: Omega_

_Suggestion: Immediate segregation_

_Reasoning: Emotional, lacks control, displays no submissive tendencies. Fairy Tale is not known as an atmosphere that focuses on discipline, which is something that must begin to be instilled as soon as possible if a suitable mate is ever to be found. Very unlikely that with his present temperament that anyone would accept him as a bond partner._

He touched a finger to the paper and it burst into flame almost instantly. It was a bright flash, contained to only that sheet, and then nothing but a pile of ash remained.

Makarov had never really been the sort of man to allow rules and regulation to come between him and his family anyway, nor the sort to shy away from complication.

 

**Some Years  Later**

Lucy walked down the street, Plue dancing along the edge of the canal close by, and fingered her keys as she always did when she was feeling nervous. It was the third day of her Heat and she was feeling run down. She’d taken her scent suppressors, as every mage on the submissive spectrum but not interested in mating did, but even then her status as a gamma caused her issues.

It was close, so disturbingly close, to omega status that it scared her sometimes. She could see how at the crest of her Heat others would turn and look at her, eyes undressing and lingering over her openly, unable to divert their gazes.

She was the closest thing to an omega that was allowed to roam unattended these days and the reason was clear to her every cycle. If her phermones were stronger, her heat more intense, who was to say that all she could get is lingering glances? There were stories told of people being unable to control themselves and acting against omegas and even gammas.

Forced bonding was the whispered thing of nightmares. Lucy’s heart clenched at the thought.

Even in the guild, where everyone prided themselves on their control and acceptance of all the statuses she could sense that some of the other unattached mages were tested by her presence, especially the alphas. Erza and Gray in particular, probably because of their constant proximity, seemed to be driven to distraction. This was her first cycle since Tenrou Island and she was starting to consider not longer spending them with the guild or taking jobs during it.

The longer she stayed unbonded the worse her heats would get and more pheromones her body would produce, seeking a bond mate that her mind had no desire for. Before they’d been frozen for seven years things had been fine but this...this was worse than she’d ever imagined it could be. The usual discomfort in her belly was full blown pain, she was hot and sweating, and her brain was hazy.

She’d always hated what she was. Her father had been so pleased, so eager to practically sell her to highest bidder. A woman like her, with her magic and her status was a prized commodity. Not as volatile as Omegas were supposed to be but with all the supposed gentle submissiveness. Gammas were the best mates, able to be bonded with all of the other levels. The perfect tool for her father. He’d had her magic assessed, had her checked for fertility and purity (much to her embarrassment) and advertised it for all potential suitors.

She was to be his best business deal yet.

Or so the man had liked to believe, but she’d shown him hadn’t she?

The familiar anger was washed away by sadness. She was still angry about those things, so angry, but it the ache of her father’s death was still there. Sometimes she read over his final letter to her, throat tight and tears streaming. She had run away, fighting to be her own woman, to be strong despite her dynamic, to be able to shove it into his face.

She would be no man’s wife before she was ready and certainly no one’s pretty submissive bargaining chip. Never. She was a Fairy Tail mage, she could command golden celestial keys...she would never be anything but what she wanted to be. This was what she’d wanted to show him but...he’d already known that, hadn’t he?

She could understand now that she hadn’t been a business deal, she’d been a daughter and he’d been scared for her. He’d wanted a good man from a good family to marry and care for her, as he’d done for her mother, and while that wasn’t what Lucy had wanted in life she supposed it also wasn’t the awful evil she’d thought it was.

Plue’s worried cry broke her from her thoughts. She looked down at her companion then looked ahead of them. They’d just turned onto the street her apartment was located; she’d taken a detour at a bakery before coming home because she’d been in the mood for some pastry.

It seemed that her little side trip had given her friend Natsu time to beat her to her own place. She let out an alarmed cry as she hurried towards the pink haired man, who was currently in a heap before her door. Happy was at his side, tail swishing about is obvious agitation. The Exceed turned around when he heard Lucy’s approach and flew at her, words spilling from his mouth.

“Lucy you have to help him! Master Makarov is gone and he won’t go to anyone else!”

“What’s wrong?” She’d reached Natsu and could see that her friend was pale and shaking so badly she could hear his teeth chattering. He was drenched in sweat and heat was coming off of him in waves. He was always warm, of course, but this...this was beyond that. It prickled her skin with it’s intensity.

She instinctively reached out to touch him, thinking to rest her hand on his forehead to maybe check for a fever (though she wasn’t sure such a thing was even possible for Natsu, or how she’d be able to tell); skin touched bare skin for a moment and even as she made to draw back from the almost burning heat the man was putting off Natsu’s head snapped back and his mouth opened in a silent scream. Flames erupted, bursting forth from the dragon slayer’s mouth and reaching for the sky.

“Gah!”

Lucy was yanked back and found herself pulled against something hard. And covered in a black jacket. She peeked up, panic momentarily forgotten, and stared at Loke’s troubled face. The spirit wasn’t paying much attention to her, even as he held her cradled in his arms, and was instead staring at Natsu very hard.

“Lucy!” Happy was suddenly in her field of vision, somehow managing to fit himself between her and Loke. “Are you okay? I didn’t know that would happen! That’s never happened. I don’t know what’s happening! What’s happening!?”

Lucy extracted herself from Loke’s powerful grip and turned back around to once again face Natsu. The flames had gone out as quickly as they had started, though there was a tell tale scorch mark on her door.

“We need to get him inside and get some water going in the tub. I’ll bring him up. Cold water. And ice.”

\--------

Lucy hovered by the doorway, too worried to be embarrassed about what was happening in her bathroom. Loke was sitting in the rub, submerged up to his chest in icy water, with Natsu sitting between his legs and slumped against his chest. Loke had taken the time to strip Natsu down but had only shed his suit jacket and tie.

The spirit was talking to Natsu softly and running fingers through damp pink hair, words so soft that she couldn’t hear what he was saying. Natsu had writhed and fought when he’d first hit the water but had calmed under Loke’s attention, fight draining out of him until he was totally limp.

Whatever it was the spirit was saying seemed to have done the trick and for that Lucy was grateful; watching Natsu like this made her heart hurt.

On the other hand something about Loke’s tone was sending unwanted shivers down her spine and heat pool in her stomach and she hated that. Kind of. Mostly hated it.

“How long has he been in heat?” Loke asked finally, voice all business. Happy made a distressed noise while settling on Lucy’s shoulder.

“Natsu can’t be in heat.” Lucy said, squinting up at the spirit. Alpha’s could only been brought into rut when they mated and Natsu was clearly NOT mating with anyone at the moment. Or at all, judging by how little interest he’d ever show in anyone. “He’s an Alpha, they don’t-”

“I know about Alphas. There is no one more Alpha than Leo.” Loke looked back at her, grinning cheekily. She felt her face heat up and her stomach clench just a little as she looked away, unable to look him in the eye.

Stupid Loke.

She’d known that of course, had felt the way he seemed to literally smolder with the energy she associated with Alphas the minute he’d reclaimed his spot as Leo. She’d also noticed he never came out unless she called for him when she was in heat and she’d been silently appreciative.

Just as she affected Alphas they affected her. She couldn’t pick up the scents like Alphas but still the presence of them could make her feel hot and flushed and as the heat reached its crest she found her inhibitions were...lowered. But the situation being what it was she found control wasn’t as hard to maintain as it sometimes could be. Even with ‘No one is more Alpha than Leo’ Loke around.

“Natsu is no Alpha.” Loke had his attention back to the man in question. “How long Happy?”

The exceed was quiet for a long moment then, quietly. “Since Lucy’s started. He thinks...he thinks he’s synched up with Lucy somehow. But-” And here the exceed’s words became rushed and desperate “It’s never been this bad. Normally he takes the suppressors and Master Makarov gives him a potion that keeps the Heat controlled but he broke the bottle and doesn’t have a way to get more and it’s just-”

Lucy reached up and pulled Happy into her arms, shushing him. Happy shuddered then buried his head into her chest and muffled sobbing noises were all that could be heard. Loke nodded and ran his hand over Natsu’s head again.

“I’d guess he couldn’t take the full heat after keeping it away so long and it caused a Heat Fever and magical backlash. Long term usage can do that; I bet being frozen for 7 years didn’t help any, who knows how that may have screwed up with.” Loke paused, staring at the top of Natsu’s head intently. “Those things aren’t really meant to be used non-stop like that. You’re both what, almost 19 now? Too long.”

Lucy made an annoyed noise. She knew all about the ‘risks’ posed by long term usages of the suppressants, had to undergo a lecture every time she refilled her prescriptions; she was risking heat fever, heat stupor, and her future fertility

It seemed, at times, that everything conspired against her, trying to force her to fit a mould she didn’t want any part in. Even the medication that helped her would end up hurting her in the long run.

Find a mate or suffer.

She knew it all and certainly didn’t need a lecture from one of her spirits about it, least of all fucking Loke.

“So Natsu’s a gamma?” Lucy asked, shaking her head to dispel the bitter thoughts. “He’s been pretending all this time. I don’t know if I’m angry or impressed.”

Natsu made a whining noise then one glassy dark eye peeked out from behind a curtain of pink. He looked so tired, so beaten down, so...not himself. Then he smiled, a small shivering thing. “omgea. be impressed.”

“WHAT?”


	3. Tip Toe Higher

Natsu woke up slowly, mind trapped in a confused haze, as he looked around. This wasn’t his bed...in fact this wasn’t even his place. Where was he? Bright. Warm. Cheerful. Well coordinated...must be Lucy’s apartment.

Well waking up at the blond’s place was far from a rare occurrence. In fact it was so common lately she’d managed to (somehow) save up some jewel and buy him his own cot for right in front of the fireplace. He smiled faintly as he remembered the pleased look on Lucy’s face when she’d presented to him (“You practically live here Natsu and, even if you don’t help with rent, you shouldn’t sleep on the floor!”) and her surprised squeal of laughter when he’d wrapped her into a fierce hug.

He had so many amazing friends, so close that they were his family, but Lucy stood out among them all. She’d saved him when he’d had heat fever, accepted him even though he’d been lying to her the entire time they’d known each other, and now she kept him from tipping over the edge again.

He rubbed a hand over his face then stretched. He’d here for two days and hadn’t left since arriving. He wouldn’t leave until the heat passed, same as it always was. The heats lingered now, outlasting Lucy’s and threatening to drag him under each time but...he persevered. Being here, closed in and away from others, helped a lot.

Happy grumbled next to him then turned over, burrowing further into the pillow. Natsu considered waking up his friend then, eyes turned to the window, decided against it. The sun was just starting to rise and the exceed wasn’t all the pleasant if you woke him up too early. He rolled off of the cot carefully then shuffled towards the kitchen, scratching his chest absently. His muffler was already in place, he supposed he’d been too out of it last night bother with more than taking off his shirt.

A collection of empty bottles of wine and two glasses sat on the table, telling him that his assessment was probably correct. He did a lot of drinking when he was in heat lately, probably too much, but he found it was the only thing he could do to keep the edge off of things anymore.

The potion he’d been using since his first heat wasn’t having the same effect; it took more and more just to make it through the day and he couldn’t afford to continue taking more and more. Loke had stated, rather blandly, that Natsu was more likely to kill himself than anything with the potion at this point.

So wine it was at night; it numbed him from the inside out.

He’d tried to sleep at his own place the night the heat had hit him but he’d found it too enclosed, too small, too hot and he’d been unable to breathe. He’d walked around the town, Happy floating behind him tiredly, before finding himself outside of Lucy’s place. He’d climbed up and inside to find the woman sitting at her kitchen table, wine bottle and glasses out and his cot already set up.

_“It’s that time again.” She had her elbows on the table and her chin cradled in her hands, leaning forward just slightly. She was in a pink nightgown and one frilly strap was sliding down her shoulder, but she seemed oblivious, and her hair was loose. “I expected you earlier.”_

_“I tried sleeping at home. I didn’t want to bother you.” He took the seat across from her, smiling when she let out an offended huff. “Hey, you never know. Maybe Loke was planning to pay you a visit.”_

_“WHAT’S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!” Lucy was on her feet in a flash, hand coming up to point at Natsu, so close that her index finger was almost touching his nose. He glanced sideways at Happy, who’d taken a seat on the table._

_“It means Loke likes youuuu!” Happy said in a sing-song voice._

_The blond growled and her expression went dark. Natsu started to put a hand up to defend against the punch he knew was coming but rather abruptly Lucy backed off, eyes flicking to the side. He followed her gaze, catching sight of her key ring hanging from the back of her chair. Leo’s key hung in the front, shining brightly. Lucy was silent for a moment then her cheeks went pink before she sat back down, making another huffing noise._

_“Maybe I’ll just toss all of you out, Loke included.” She didn’t seem inclined to actually follow through on that thread, opting instead to start pouring the wine._

_They sat in silence, drinking to the bottom of the bottle. Most of it was Natsu but then it always was. She watched with tiredly worried brown eyes but said nothing. Just another night like many they’d spent together during this time. Every 8 weeks they were both affected by The Heat, cycles having synched up at some point in their friendship, and so they sat together, a surly omega and his equally sour gamma friend. Lucy was one of three people who knew his secret and perhaps the only one who really understood his desire to deny what he was._

He could still acutely recall that night, soaking wet in Lucy’s tub and the way she’d been looking down at him, mouth drawn into a frown that wasn’t pity but rather understanding. They were the same.

There, sitting in icy water, practically curled up in Loke’s lap and benefiting from the Alpha’s presence (and hating himself for it) and so tired he could feel it in his bones, he’d confessed the whole story. How Makarov had protected him, lied to the council and ‘convinced’ the Status Head to forget all about labeling Natsu an Omega. He’d told her about the potion and how it suppressed the heat, turning the constant burning inside him to a dull annoying ache like what gamma’s dealt with, and how he’d been pretending to be an alpha ever since.

He took suppressors (And not just when the heat hit, but all the time) and had spent a lot of time teaching himself to not be affected by Alphas.

All in all he made due. No one suspected, not even those closest to him. He was still loud, brash Natsu just like he’d always been; it was an image he’d worked very hard to keep in place but was suddenly crumbling around him. He was losing it, really losing it. That first heat after getting back from the island had been unexpected and it had crashed into him full force. He’d dropped the stupid potion in a fit of tremors and everything had fallen apart from there. He’d been out of his head for the first two days, totally incoherent according to Happy, and in a moment of lucidity he’d basically crawled to Lucy’s, hoping she could help.

Lucy had reacted...well, as she always did. Loudly and violently, smacking him soundly for daring to lie to her of all people, as if she’d tell his secret. She’d pouted for a little bit as well but eventually they’d found themselves around the table, Natsu sharing some of the many stories about hiding his nature while Loke flirted shamelessly with both of them.   

And so it had been ever since. He hauled himself over to Lucy’s, they talked and drank and then he’d pass out.

Natsu picked up the glasses and took them to the sink, intending to wash them before Lucy woke up. She’d appreciate it, he was sure.

He turned on the water, mind drifting a little. The symptoms of the heat were starting to surge up again, as they would every morning for the next day or two. He could have some reprieve while he slept and right after waking up but soon enough he’d find himself in the same situation. Heat in his belly, but not the comforting kind that came from fire. No, this was an uncomfortable oppressive heat that twisted his insides. A pressure would form on his chest like someone was pressing down on him, he’d start sweating and losing focus, get emotional and depressed...and that was just the start.

He wouldn’t be able to deal with the scent of others let alone the touch. His body demanded that he do things...things he wanted no part of and the only solution was to hide until the urges passed. He’d spent years pretending to be an alpha; all the proper actions, the proper classes. He covered his scent carefully and his own enhanced senses allowed him to mimic the alpha traits pretty well. He had hidden what he was perfectly from the outside world but in the end his body betrayed him every cycle, reminding him of the truth.

“Good morning Natsu.” Lucy’s sleep thickened voice called out. He looked over his shoulder to see a wet haired blond, dressed in sweats and a tshirt, shuffling out of her bedroom. A towel sat around her shoulders and she was rubbing at her eyes, clearly still tired. “Did I wake you?”

“Nope.” He made a show of looking behind her into her bedroom. “No Loke?”

He knew the spirit visited to watch over Lucy and, he strongly suspected but couldn’t prove, to watch after him as well. Sometimes he’d come and sit with them, laughing and teasing. Sometimes he showed while they were sleeping and just sat around, watching them like a total creeper. Some mornings Loke would come out of the bedroom after Lucy, all smiles. At first Natsu had thought...well he’d thought all kinds of things that had made him unable to look either in the eye. But now he knew Loke just watched but never made a move.

There was no doubt in Natsu’s mind that the spirit intended to try and claim Lucy at some point but for now the lion seemed content to wait it out. The idea of Loke, an alpha, wanting to mate with his best friend should have made him angry (would have had it been anyone else) but he knew that the spirit liked Lucy as she was and had no desire to try and force her into the role she and Natsu both dreaded.

Being Loke’s mate wouldn’t mean giving up the guild and her job or friends. She wouldn’t become a broodmare or housewife. She’d be Lucy, Celestial Mage and Fairy Tail wizard, until she decided she wanted to set those titles aside. That knowledge made Natsu happy for them.

Loke was a rare sort of alpha, really. No serious posturing or attempts to put lesser dynamics in their place. No apparent desire for control.

Lucy sometimes whined about Loke’s ‘invasion of privacy and random coming and going’ but Natsu was pretty sure she actually enjoyed it. They were in the delicate fledging stage of a courtship, even if Lucy seemed oblivious or thought it was all teasing.

Loke seemed to be absent this morning though. Either he hadn’t been by at all or he’d left already; he did like to claim that Lucy and Natsu together were enough to drive any celestial being to doing unforgivable things.

The thought of what kind of things the spirit might be considering made Natsu as breathless as it made him furious. Stupid perverted alpha cat. Stupid body. Stupid heats.

‘NO!” Lucy sputtered, face turning red. “Why do you assume he’d be here?”

“Because Loke loves yoouuuuu.” Happy’s small sleepy voice called from the cot.

Lucy stomped over to her pantry, occasionally tossing dark looks over her shoulder in the direction of the feline. She pulled out a few things then headed towards the icebox, retrieving eggs and berries. Natsu took out a large bowl and spoon then met her at the table.

They had their little rituals at this point. Lucy made breakfast, he’d attempt to throw together lunch, and Lucy would order dinner. They had gone out together at first but he had lost his ability to do so when the potion’s effect started waning. His pills kept his scent under control, yes, but the potion was what made the heat bearable and kept him from losing his cool when he was around other people.

Lucy wasn’t much better these days. Before Tenrou she’d been able to keep up her day to day activities even during her heat but after the time jump they’d both found themselves suffering.

No, they had to stay here in their little nest, like a  pair of crazy hermits.

Lucy nudged him lightly. It sent pleasant tingles up his arm but he stamped the feeling down quickly; outwardly he only offered a small smile. Lucy he could stand to be around but sometimes he wondered if soon even that would change.

“You don’t look so good. I know it’s not a hangover-”

Natsu smiled toothily. “Dragonslayers don’t get hangovers.”

That wasn’t strictly true but he certainly didn’t get them as easily as Lucy did.

She just rolled her eyes while pouring milk into the bowl. “Yes yes, almighty dragonslayers blahblahblah. So. What’s wrong? Crack eggs please.”

The same thing that was always wrong of course. The heats were getting worse, always worse, and it was draining him. Instead he reached over and tugged a lock of her hair. “Just didn’t sleep well.”

“I wish you would talk to Master Makarov.” Lucy sighed and ducked away from him, hair slipping between his fingers. It was smooth, like silk, and his fingers tingled pleasantly. For a moment he felt the urge to reach back out and touch her again.

He stamped that down too.

His response would be the same as it always did when they had this talk; that there was no point in talking to Gramps because the old man would just fuss and worry while telling him that he couldn’t find a stronger elixir or let Natsu take anymore than he was already taking. He’d give him that sad look and once again point out that Fairy Tail was full of respectable wizards who’d happily court Natsu and, in fact, there were even a few alphas he knew very well (Gramps always went for that line of discussion towards the end, eyebrows raised. Omegas were always more drawn to alphas above betas and gammas and ‘meshed’ with them the best. Natsu should have felt that draw.)

Fairy Tail did have a higher than average number of alpha wizards and all of them cared for Natsu in their own unique ways; he was very aware of that. Erza, Gray, Gajeel, Cana, Freed, Laxus, Mira and Gildarts (not that Natsu, even at his worst, would ever consider Gildarts or Mira. That was just beyond disgusting. And Gajeel...well Levy would probably have something to say about that) and Gramps was sure one or two of them would give a courtship serious thought if he approached them.

Natsu of course wasn’t going to be courted by anyone at any point. He was no submissive omega who needed his hand hold and nose wiped by some so-called dominate wizard. He would never allow someone to make his choices, tell him where to go, and what to do.

Not that he’d never *ever* considered it. Did he think any of the wizards in his guild would consciously force him to change? No, not really, but that didn’t change what they might instinctually try to do. They all, even Erza and Gray, were stereotypical alphas. Tightly controlled, regimented, demanding…they bent people to their will without realizing they were doing it.

He wanted no part of that.   

He was in control of his own fate and always would be.  ...well. Would be until it become too much to take and his body fell into a heat coma he’d never wake from, or everything he’d ever read had claimed.

He would have told her all of that except his train of thought was completely derailed by a knock on the door. Lucy, was standing over the stove now and carefully pouring batter to make pancakes jumped then whirled around, eyes wide in surprise.

No one ever came by when she was in Heat, ever. They sent messages sometimes  and on one occasion Erza had stood outside her window, shouting up about a mission they’d be leaving on as soon as Lucy was able, but no one actually came up to the apartment. She was, after all, an unbonded Gamma who was nearly on Omega and practically dripped with pheromones during her heat. It was just easier for everyone if they left her alone.

It was also easier for Natsu to hide out at her place, because who would look for him here? He was, after all, an alpha just as affected by Lucy as everyone else.

Another knock, this time loud and urgent, and the blond turned wide brown eyes on him. He blinked dumbly, brain having ground to a total halt. Then one singular thought: Bedroom!

Right. He’d hide in Lucy’s bedroom!

He started for the girl’s room but too late, the front door swung over with a bang and the familiar sign of cracking wood. Lucy moaned, a drawn out pained noise, and took a halting step towards the door which now hung crookedly from the top hinge

Erza stood in the doorway, great sword in hand. Furtive eyes darted around, taking in everything quickly, then turned confused.

“Natsu? What are you doing here? And where is your shirt?”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I became deeply amused by Natsu’s stubbornness towards the end there, as he reflects on Gramps telling him he should consider approaching one of the Fairy Tail wizards and starting a courtship. All Natsu can think is ‘I don’t want to be courted’ while totally missing that the suggestion is that *he* does the courting.


	4. When You Play the Game

Lucy looked at Natsu, who was still very much deer in the headlights and offering no answer for the redhead’s questions. This was bad, very bad, on at least a hundred different but increasingly awful levels. 

Lucy was going to have to be the one to stand up and act! 

“My door!” She wailed,one hand balling into a fist and coming up to her trembling lips. The other hand ran over her keys until it felt the familiar shape of Leo then wrapped around it. It was warm to the touch and she could feel a calm come over her. 

Lucy collapsed to her knees and began to sob, loudly, but kept her eyes cracked open to see if her gambit was working.. Erza’s sword vanished, leaving the older girl standing there, hands awkwardly at her side. 

“Lucy, please don’t-”

Perfect. There wasn’t wasn’t an alpha in the world who would stand before her ‘Lucy Cry’! “I can’t afford to fix that Erza! You busted it off the bottom hinge! What’s my landlady going to say? She’s going to kill me!”

Erza’s eyes were wide and panicked. She took a step back from the door, putting herself further away as if the distance would act as a buffer. “I’ll replace it!”

“You promise?” Lucy sniffled then looked up at the older girl, widening her eyes as much as she could. The redhead nodded shakily. Satisfied with that she rubbing her eyes, swiping away the wetness there. “Okay. So. What did you need?”

“Need?” Erza actually looked momentarily confused then shook her head as if to clear it. “We need you, now. A caravan carrying some protected wizards went missing on it’s way to a council facility. Last report had them staying at an inn a little ways from here. We know it’s ‘that time’ for you but we can’t wait and almost everyone else is out on jobs..”

That was surprising, but also not really. Erza, Gray, and Wendy tended to not take on any hard jobs during her (and Natsu’s) heat, so of course they would all be around. Lucy bounced to her feet, fingers rubbing over Loke’s key anxiously. 

This was bad. Or at least had potential to be bad. She had stopped going out when Natsu had started sharing heats with her. With suppressants she could dampen her scent, yes, but she wasn’t sure she could take being around people or the constant gnawing ache inside of her. But she’d try, of course, people were in danger. What else could she do?

But Natsu...Natsu had to drink himself stupid just to sleep. Dimming his scent would be the least of his issues but she knew that wouldn’t deter him. He’d go out anyway. He’d drive himself into another heat fever, willingly, if he thought it would save someone’s life. 

“Of course. I’ll get ready now. We’ll meet you at the guildhall?”

“Train station in thirty minutes..” Erza said. “We’ll meet our employers after the ride.” 

\----------------

As soon as Erza was gone Loke emerged from his realm, taking in the scene. Lucy’s door was lying forlornly from only one hinge, Lucy was standing near the door and worrying her bottom lip between her teeth and Natsu had collapsed into a chair and looked shell shocked. Loke could smell the panic and worry rolling off of the two of them, turning their usually pleasing scents sour. 

He needed to fix this, to protect them. They were his, his gamma and his omega, and they were distressed and it was his duty to sooth their concerns. 

“Why are you two just standing around? We’ve got people to rescue.” He made a hurry up motion with his hands. 

Lucy jerked in surprise then nodded absently and made for her bedroom; Natsu just groaned and slammed his head against the table with an alarming crack. Loke winced but left the Dragon Slayer as he was, trusting that Happy would get him moving. And if not he’d deal with the pinkette next; but for now Lucy was his first concern. 

The celestial wizard was behind her changing screen (she’d invested in the item shortly after realizing that privacy was a luxury she’d never have as a member of Fairy Tail) and he leaned against the doorframe, careful to look away. She’s throw a fit if she peered out and caught him looking, a lesson he may have learned the hard way. 

He liked that about her; he’d known a lot of wizards in his time but none like Lucy. She was a strange woman; brazen but shy, sweet but blunt, kind but a fierce fighter in her own right. 

“Are you coming with us?” 

He let his thoughts of the puzzle that was his master fall away. “Of course. I wouldn’t be much of an alpha is I just let you two run off unattended.” 

He would practically hear her scowling. “You are not anyone’s alpha.” 

Not officially, no, but he felt the alpha pull to the two young mages in spite of that.

“I wouldn’t be much of a friend either.” Was the response he settled on. Lucy made an annoyed noise, followed by the rustle of the screen being pushed back into place. 

He finally looked in her direction, finding her in a short red skirt and matching tank top. Her hair was pulled up and secured with a red ribbon, just brushing against bare shoulders. He smiled wanly, wondering if she noticed how she strayed towards more ‘striking’ colors when she was in heat.

Probably not. It was all subconscious, a hidden urge to be noticed, to stand out, and show off her best assets. Not that he was any better or less driven by his urges. She and Natsu claimed to be slaves to their natures, bemoaned their fates and fought against themselves with every breath the took, but it wasn’t as if being an alpha affording him any more control of his nature and actions. 

After all, did he not watch the apartment at night, keeping an eye on these two and in fact keep watch even from the Celestial Realm during the day? Had he not not found himself absurdly angry and growling when Erza had kicked in the door of what he considered his territory? Had he not wanted to cross over and challenge the redhead and make the fact that Lucy and Natsu were *his* known? 

“You look nice.” He smiled at Lucy.

Her cheeks pinkened. “Shut up”. She shoved past him, body brushing against his and it took everything he had not to reach out and pull her closer. Her scent teased him when she was this close; cool and sweet, like grass after the rain. The sour note was fading, replaced with something bright and pleasing. 

The blond began tossing items into a bag, hmming softly as she considered certain articles of clothing then turning pink and glaring as a lacy bra appeared and was tossed inside the bag then shoved to the bottom with unnecessary force. He managed to not laugh at the show of modesty. 

He moved back when she was done, needing to maintain some distance. He’d it was easier when her scent was mingled in the air with Natsu’s, making it harder to distinguish the individual elements. When it was just her it was temption given form, but with the two of them together he could settle into a more cautious and protective state. Natsu didn’t cause the ‘mate. bite. need’ response in him like Lucy did but rather a feeling of ‘pride. family.’ 

She walked back into the kitchen and reached into the cupboard she kept her suppressors in. Small jade green pills that, at least to Loke’s nose, smelled like horse crap. She wrinkled her nose but swallowed two down dry. 

Natsu was pacing the room, face dark and looking every inch the predator waiting for its prey. Happy was curled up on Natsu’s head, snoring softly and apparently undisturbed by the tension around him.The Dragon Slayer reminded Loke a lot of himself; dangerously close to his inner beast but also painfully human. The pink haired teen caught his eye and offered a bitter smile, lips pulled back just enough to show a hint of dragon sharp teeth. 

Natsu was headed for an explosion on of these days. Potions and suppressors wouldn’t keep the bubbling pot of emotion and power under control forever. Loke was pretty sure that, ironically enough, it was Natsu’s tight control of his nature that pushed him so close to the edge every heat cycle. He was trying to put out a grease fire with water and just causing it to spread a little more each time.

He walked over to the Dragon Slayer, noting that he must have already have taken his pills. His scent was dulling, turning from an intriguing spicy heat to a dull noteless nothingness. Natsu’s dose, provided by the guild master, didn’t just turn down the scent like Lucy’s did. Rather they wiped it out and scrubbed it away, leaving a strange void.

He didn’t care for it and in hindsight he wondered how he’d never been alarmed by Natsu’s strange empty scent when he’d been pretending to be a human. It was like a constant itch, just out of reach, constantly there and bothering him. 

He touched Natsu’s arm lightly. “Relax.” 

Natsu’s fist clenched at his side then opened. Clench, unclench, clench. Finally. “I feel like something bad is going to happen.” 

“So stay.” Lucy’s voice was soft but insistent. “Don’t go Natsu. I’ll tell Erza you’re sick.” 

The dragon slayer growled, a low rumble that stroked at Loke’s protective nature. He wanted to sooth the younger man, to protect him. Natsu wouldn't appreciate that much, so he just squeezed his shoulder lightly then flashed both of the teens a smile. 

“Let’s get going. Who knows what kind of sexy damsels may be in distress, waiting to be rescued.” 

Lucy sniffed in annoyance but Natsu looked at him, a mischievous glint in his eyes. The sourness in the air was totally gone now; perhaps a product of the suppressants taking effect but Loke liked to think it was his considerable charms.

“You’re coming? Staying out, I mean? Aren’t you tired after watching us sleep last night?” 

Loke flashed them both his biggest most shameless smile. “Not to worry. Lucy’s got more than enough power for me to borrow a little if I start having a hard time staying out under my own magic. It’s not like watching you took that much out of me, really.”

Lucy made a squawking noise. “You were really watching us sleep?”

“Of course.” He schooled his expression into one of confusion. “So?” 

“So? It’s WEIRD!” Lucy looked scandalized. “You really are some kind of perverted cat aren’t you?” 

He shrugged. Lucy was fuming but Natsu was laughing and that made the hell the blond was going to give him well worth it. She started waving her arms and pointing, informing him of how awful he was; Natsu sidled away to his bag and, after a moment of rummaging, emerged with a small bottle of blue syrupy fluid. 

Loke’s humor vanished; Natsu’s potion smelled even worse than the suppressants did; something like rotting flesh and *wrong*. Lucy followed his gaze then sighed. She didn’t like it any more than he did and as far as he could tell Natsu had been forgoing the potion, simply powering through his heat during the day and drinking at night.

Loke was pretty sure that stuff was just setting Natsu up for an even greater explosion when it finally happened. 

“I’m hoping that going with you two will eliminate the need for that.” Loke frowned at Natsu’s bland look. “I know I’m not *your* alpha but you’ve responded to me before. I think I can keep the two of you from having any...incidents.”

He hoped. They were both strong and while Lucy responded to him more readily he was pretty sure he could handle Natsu as well. During their heats their magic raged inside of them, looking around and threatening to cause the backlash that could lead to fever or coma or even death (Heat Death was supposed to be awful; the mage’s magic turned totally against them and attacked them, destroying them from the inside out.) but an alpha could share the magic, bringing it down to acceptable levels. 

He did it for Lucy often without her realizing it and he’d done it for Natsu in the tub and a time or two since. Bleeding Lucy’s magic off through their link without her noticing was easy, and felt so right it made him ache every time, but doing so for Natsu took actual physical contact so he’d only had opportunities when the dragon slayer was too out of it to protest. 

On a totally selfish level Loke didn’t mind the power infusions. 

Dark eyes gleamed at him, more dragon than human for a moment. Then Natsu stuck his finger into the bottle, gathering up the sticky blue goop and then shoving his finger into his mouth. His eyes were bright and defiant, daring Loke to to say something. 

The spirit just flashed a toothy smile. “You’re an idiot. It doesn’t hurt me any if you put shitty tasting gunk in your mouth.” 

Natsu made a choking noise and Lucy went pink all the way to the tips of her ear.

\----------------

Erza was out on the street and a few blocks away before her head cleared and she felt like she could breathe again. She stopped, putting a head to her forehead, and stared at the cobblestone path hard while collecting her thoughts. When she’d knocked down Lucy’s door she’d felt like she’d been hit in the face with a brick almost instantly; the wave of pheromones that had rolled out had swept her up and dulled her brain before she could steel herself against it. 

It was foolish of her to not have been prepared; even under the effects of suppressors Lucy’s scent was strong when she was in heat so it was only natural that while shut in her apartment with no dampening agents or way to get out that it would be that much stronger. 

But. Even with that in mind...it was strange. Erza was no untrained or low level alpha, she shouldn’t have been reduced to a stuttering mess like that. After the initial wave she should have been able to push past it and collect herself; Lucy was only one gamma after all, but it had been so overwhelming, so oppressive, like a tidal wave,

Natsu hadn’t seemed…Natsu! 

She’d forgotten all about the pink haired teen in the face of Lucy’s tears (An underhanded trick if she’d ever seen one, by the way. She’s always known Lucy had an ability to sway people, usually with her looks or figure, but never had it been turned on her before) What had he been doing in Lucy’s apartment, and half dressed at that? 

Were they courting?

Erza shook her head, dismissing the thought as quickly as she thought it. No, the scent in that apartment had been pure unbonded submissive, not the more tempered scent of one in the midst of courting. Besides if that had been the case Natsu wouldn’t have let another alpha anywhere near Lucy without taking it as a threat to his Intended. 

Just sleeping together then? 

That would explain where Natsu always went to when Lucy was in heat; he’d say something about ‘Dragon Slayer meditation’ then vanish, reappearing a day or two after Lucy’s heat was over. She’d thought it was strange but then Natsu was strange. 

There was the distinct smell of alpha in Lucy’s apartment, a bright and powerful musk that invoked thoughts of heat and arid land in her mind. It had been faint, just barely making it through the heady submissive scent, but it had been there. Logic said it must have been Natsu but, up until that point, he had never had a scent. Well he had one, but it was oddly neutral, not giving any hint to his nature. 

Strange but, again, Natsu was just about the strangest person she knew.

It wasn’t adding up to her. Strange alpha scent. Natsu’s presence while Lucy was in heat but his lack of action to defend here. The strong scent that had been bottled up in there, powerful enough to cloud even her mind. The way Lucy had gone out of her way to add to that cloud, appealing to Erza’s alpha nature to get her away as soon as possible. 

Something was going on, and she was going to find out what. After this mission, of course. 

Priorities.


	5. If You Could Only See

 

“You think what?” Gray arched an eyebrow at Erza. She’d collected him and Wendy from the guildhall then begun relaying her story about visiting Lucy as they walked to the train station.

“They’re hiding something.” Erza said, face deadly serious. “I think it’s serious.”

“You don’t think they’re just fu-” Gray hesitated, stumbling over his words and glancing down at Wendy, who was trailing just slightly behind him. She scowled then puffed up, trying to make herself seem larger.

“Excuse you! I’m not a little kid Gray. I know things.” Wendy hesitated for a moment, a blush stealing over her face. “Well. I hear things sometimes. When everyone forgets I’m around, you know?”

The white exceed hopping along next to Wendy snorted rudely. “Who couldn’t know things as a member of that guild? You’re all so crass.”

Gray rolled his eyes, unable to take the scolding of a flying cat that seriously, and instead looked at Erza, waiting to an answer of his half asked question. She hesitated a moment, eyes giving away that she was thinking it over carefully, then shook her head.

“No, I don’t think that’s it. Something was...strange. I could smell an Alpha there.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “But I’ve never been able to sense Natsu before so why now? If they’re...together then why was the submissive scent so thick? Why was Lucy playing me?”

Gray didn’t respond, carefully turning her questions over in his mind, mostly hung up on the Alpha scent she spoke of. Logic said it was Natsu but, of course, it couldn’t be. Everyone else had developed their own unique tones around puberty but Natsu hadn’t done so, keeping the distinct nothingness of youth. It was strange, like an annoying buzzing in the back of his head.

It made him uncomfortable. As if Natsu wasn’t annoying enough.

He’d originally thought it was some kind of weird Dragon Slayer thing but Gajeel didn’t seem to suffer from it; not that Natsu was suffering by any means. He seemed totally indifferent to the fact he was scentless, boasting that he was above silly things like that.

“Just leave it alone for now.” He said finally. “If they want to tell us something they’ll do it when they’re ready.”

Erza hummed softly then: “So often secrets have brought us trouble.”

She wasn’t wrong. Still he didn’t want to think about Natsu and mating or sex or any of those things in remotely the same situations. It was just...too...much. Too gross. It caused an uncomfortable flipping in his stomach, almost to the point of nausea.

“I doubt anything those two are hiding can be all that bad.” He said finally. He crossed his arms behind his neck and winked at Erza. “Anything they get into or start we’ll be able to handle in the end, right?”

“Right.” Erza’s smile was a rare soft one. “I’ll get the tickets. Wait here for Natsu and Lucy.”

With that she was striding for the ticket booth, leaving him with Wendy and Carla. They stood, silent, for a moment when he realized Wendy was staring up at him with big brown eyes while winding a strand of hair around her finger.

He reached out and placed a hand on the girl’s head, ruffling her hair slightly. “What’s wrong kid?”

“Um. Do you think Mr. Natsu and Miss Lucy would really keep things from us?”

Damnit Erza.

He wasn’t much for explaining things to people (he liked to think of himself as a man of action) and as kids tended to have tons of questions he found that children, as a general rule, made him uncomfortable. Wendy, though a member of his team and a close friend, was no exception.

“There’s no harm in keeping things like courting and bonding private.” He smiled down at her. “Erza’s just overprotective. One day she’ll be whispering about you and giving your potential mates dirty looks, just you wait.”

A chill ran up Gray’s spine and he knew, just knew, if he were to turn around he’d see Erza giving him the evil eye. Wendy giggled then, expression brightening, squirmed away from him. She took off, running towards the 3 approaching figures. It had been 2 days since they’d seen Natsu and Lucy so he supposed her enthusiasm was understandable.

Natsu and Lucy were side by side, walking close enough that their shoulders were nearly touching and, in spite of himself, Gray felt a flash of annoyance. They looked good together, both smiling brightly as Wendy meet them and launched herself forward, arms wrapping around Lucy’s waist.

He hated their closeness, and hated himself for hating it.

In a way was it not expected that at some point Lucy and Natsu would get together? Weren’t they just a little closer to each other than to the rest of them? Didn’t they sometimes sit apart, joking and laughing?

And yet it ignited a cold wash of jealously in Gray, just as he felt any time he looked over to see them whispering and teasing each other. He wanted to have that.

Not Lucy specifically, of course, though that was probably what some people would assume. He liked her and all and she was pretty and sometimes around her heat she smelled amazing but generally he thought of her as he would a sister. And of course it wasn’t Natsu he wanted, even if he found the pinkette to be all of the things he imagined he’d want in a mate (strong, fierce, loyal, kind, occasionally funny, and accepting of Gray’s many faults) because alphas didn’t bond with alphas.

No what he wanted was that closeness. That friendship, that bond, that ability to look at another person and know what they were thinking, to always be in on the joke, and just be able to sit around in silence sometimes.

Natsu and Lucy had that.

Gray envied it.

Lately the closest he was coming to a relationship was Juvia and...well he found the beta woman to be very tiring. Exhausting, really. A constant roller coaster with manic highs and lows so depressing it sometimes made he want to weep along with the rain woman.

Loke was behind Natsu and Lucy, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt (Gray liked to think of it as his ‘human uniform’.) and while he graced Wendy with a leering smile everything else about him was tense. His gaze darted between Natsu and Lucy as they crossed the distance to Gray, stress lines forming between them.

“Loke.” The spirit started then flashed him a smile. Loke cast one last lingering look at Lucy then made a beeline for Gray. “Didn’t expect to see you.”

“Well I couldn’t very well let my master wander around unattended at a time like this could I?” Loke’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Gotta be on the look out for handsy alpha pervert types, right? Not that you’d know anything about that.”

Gray laughed nervously and tried to moved away from the spirit only to have a shockingly strong arm wrap around his shoulders in a parody of friendliness. Loke’s eyes were blazing brightly.

“Err. She’s not really unattended is she? Not with Natsu around.” Gray offered. “And of course I’d never let anything happen-”

“It’s you I’m watching.” Loke’s voice went flat and threatening. Gray cringed.

“Train’s leaving in 10.” Erza called out.

As if a switch had been flipped Loke was smiling again and ambling back to the others. Gray let out a relieved breath. Then frowned.

What the hell was that? He had to know that Gray had no interest in Lucy, didn’t he? If Loke was watching anyone it should have been Natsu! Right?

“A private car?” Wendy asked once they were settled. She and Erza were sitting across from him with the other three across the aisle, Natsu and Lucy on one side with Loke spread out on the other.

Not only that but it was a sleeper car, set up with a row of benches on each side and then two sleeping compartments behind them, built into each wall. He arched an eyebrow at Erza. “How long is this train ride?”

Natsu was looking a little green already, staring back at the beds as if they were something out of a nightmare. Erza looked both guilty and sympathetic.

“About 8 hours. We’ll have a stop over in Oshibana then the train will switch rails and head further north.”

Natsu’s face fell and he slumped over, head thumping against the window. Lucy leaned over him, muttering something while putting a hand on his shoulder. Natsu rolled his eyes then shook his head before replying. Gray couldn’t hear them and figured he didn’t really want to. His chest suddenly felt tight so he turned his attention away from his friends. He found Erza was watching them as well, lips pursed thoughtfully.

He could literally see the paranoid wheels turning in her head.

“Still. This is pretty fancy.” Loke said. He was still sprawled out on his seat, feet stretched out in front of him as he leaned against his own window. “Must be costing a ton.”

Erza cleared her throat, expression suddenly guarded.“I suppose I should let you know now that this is a job from the council, hence the fancy car. It’s a ‘delicate’ manner so they’re bending over backwards for us.”

Gray stopped admiring the car, scowling. “What?”

He should have known something was up with this job right off the bat; it had come in via messenger straight to the old man who’d then called Erza upstairs to discuss it. Erza had only told him and Wendy to be ready then had headed off to collect Lucy and Natsu (which Gray had thought was a lost cause since they never knew where Natsu actually went when Lucy was in heat. Well...they’d all suspected of course. But no one *knew* until now.)

Makarov had been decidedly resistant to answering his questions, only telling him that a convoy of protected wizards had maybe been attacked and were now missing, and Erza had only wanted to discuss her paranoia about what their friends must have been hiding.

The air around Erza seemed to go dark as if the light around her was actually fleeing from the force of the glare she laid on him. “People have gone missing Gray. Council of not it’s our duty to find them and make sure they’re okay. ...Also the pay is more than we usually get for 3 or 4 jobs.”

“Um but.” Wendy said, looking nervous. “Don’t they have people who look into this kind of thing?”

“It’s very delicate.” Erza said, sighing. “A week ago a group of mages under the protection of the council were forced to spend the night at an inn, where we’re headed now, because of an issue with their train. Supposedly they left the next morning, headed back to the train to continue their journey, but they never made it to their destination.”

The redhead paused, gaze flickering over to Lucy for a moment. “It was a group of omega and gamma wizards, leaving a training facility for a mating mixer. Originally it was suspected to be one of those groups that...liberates people from the council under the banner of dynamic freedom.”

“Sounds like we should be helping those guys.” Lucy said. Her eye was twitching furiously. “Not trying to drag wizards back so the council can treat them like produce.”

Lucy had very distinct opinions about the policy of taking omegas (and occasionally gammas from poor families) and putting them into training facilities until they were old enough to be mated, and they weren’t favorable opinions.

Gray knew that Lucy had felt like her father had wanted to auction her off to the highest bidder and that so-called ‘mating mixers’ where rich or powerful wizards could buy in and find a mate, seemed no different to her. She had, with time, even managed to sway Natsu to her side.

In fact the pinkett should have been chiming in at this point to back up Lucy and start ranting about how no one should have to be segregated or ‘trained’ or married off because of their dynamics.

Instead Natsu had his arms crossed over his chest and was looking rather pointedly out of the window.

Gray wasn’t sure what he thought of it. It wasn’t really any of his business and he figured it couldn’t have been all that bad if it was a practice that’d continued for something like a hundred years. And omegas and gammas needed mates to control their magic or else they’d turn destructive and burn out.

Or he’d always thought that anyway. Lucy seemed fine, which seemed contrary to the images of explosive magic unmated submissive dynamics always conjured.

“Lucy, no matter our personal feelings the law is the law.” Erza said sternly. “Besides, those groups are always non-violent but the bodies of the guards protecting the convoy were found so it seems more likely they’ve been picked up for human trafficking. I think we can all agree that we want to stop that kind of thing.”

Lucy looked like she was going to say something, and something heated if the look on her face was anything to go by, but the train jerked into motion and Natsu groaned, going pale but when Wendy started to stand to come over to him he shook his head, holding up a hand to stop her.

“Don’t."

Wendy went still, eyes wide, then she frowned. “Is something wrong?”

“No.” Lucy answered. Her expression was fond as she shrugged one shoulder; Gray felt that familiar flash of jealousy. “He just doesn’t want to build up any more of an immunity to troia. I think he’s wants to try and sleep through it.”

Erza’s smile sent chills up Gray’s spine. “I can help with that.”

\-----------

It was hours later when whispering woke Gray up and he cracked open one eye sleepily. He was laid out on one of the benches, opting to leave the beds to the others if they were so inclined. Natsu had been carried back already by Loke after Erza’s ‘help’. Lucy and Wendy had turned in as well but Gray had fallen asleep himself after that. He could see now that Lucy was crouched across the aisle from him, speaking softly to Loke. Erza was nowhere to be seen; probably in one of the beds.

It was starting to get dark outside, with only the purple orange of the waning sun and an overhead lamp for light. 

“He looks really sick.”

“Natsu?.” The spirit’s voice was thick with sleep but Gray watched him start to move, pushing up into a sitting position. “How sick?”

“Not as bad as that time, but it’s worse than normal motion sickness.” Lucy shifted slightly, body swaying slightly towards the spirit. “He’s trying not to make any noise but I can feel him heating up.”

“He’s going to bite my fucking head off you know?”

A scoff. “You’d probably like that.”

“Probably.” Gray knew Loke well enough to hear the leer in his voice. Loke reached out, tucking a stray lock of hair behind Lucy’s ear, before pushing himself to his feet..”Lucky for you two sleep is more of a luxury than a need for me.”

“Quiet.” Lucy muttered. Loke nodded and with that they both quietly padded to the sleeping compartments, kneeling down to be at level with the one Gray knew Natsu was in. Lucy had been in the one above it if he recalled properly.

It was hard to see them back there as they became slightly darker smudges in the shadows of the back of the compartment. He heard Loke sigh then a faint noise of pain. Loke reached into the compartment then started making a soft rumbling noise. Lucy moved then fell into a sitting position, leaning over until her head rested on Loke’s shoulder.

Gray couldn’t say how long they sat like that, Lucy leaning against Loke while the spirit made that gentle crooning noise but eventually Loke moved. He scooped Lucy up while the girl made sleepy noises of protest and carefully set her back into the bed above Natsu’s. Loke arranged a blanket over her then stood there, peering down at the blond woman for a long moment.

Loke spared a glance back at him and Gray went still, shutting his eyes tightly. He could hear Loke’s footsteps moving towards, feel the spirit stop next to his seat.

“It’s actually insulting that you think I won’t notice you're awake.” He cracked open an eye; Loke shot him a grin that showed off a flash of sharp teeth then winked. “I’m going to find coffee. We should be pulling into the station soon.”

 

 


	6. Everything is Black and White and Grey

Their employers were, much to Gray’s annoyance, a pair of rune knights. He’d known it was a job for the council but he’d expected one of their pencil pushers or something like that, not actual stuffy rune knights.

The knights were standing on the train platform wearing casual clothing and yet looking so stiff and annoyed that Gray had them pegged right away.When they approached Erza as soon as she stepped off and introduced themselves as knights it took actual physical effort not to roll his eyes.

The woman was solidly built with wavy auburn hair, hard gray eyes, and a stubborn set to her mouth; she introduced herself as Hikari. The male knight, reedy with close cropped brown hair and watery blue eyes, was identified as Yuu.

“And this,” Hikari made a dismissive gesture towards the second man, who was standing just behind her. “Is Thyme, my omega.”

Thyme was a tall man, thin and pale, with muddy brown eyes and long dark blue hair fixed into a single thick braid, which was dotted with golden beads in seemingly random spots. On the side of his neck was a mark, a small gray bird with it’s wings extended; a magical bonding mark. Gray knew a lot of people were opting for them now in place of the ‘barbaric’ biting rituals and bonding scars; all the magic and ownership without seeming uncivilized.

It also let the dominant partner forge the bond without having to take on a mark themselves, something that apparently appealed to lots of people.

Erza frowned, gaze flicking over to Lucy as if expecting the celestial wizard to start one of her rants about equality. “You bring your omega on missions?”

“Of course.” Hikari’s looked at Erza quizzically. “He wouldn’t do me much good sitting at home, would he? Thyme’s one of the best defensive mages in Fiore and has been invaluable in past negotiations.”

“Well I think that’s great.” Lucy said, beaming. “There’s no reason omegas, especially bonded ones, should be expected to sit at home anyway. I wish more people were so enlightened.”

Hikari blinked then shrugged. “It isn’t my place to judge others but I chose Thyme because of his strength and ability. I am confident he’ll be of great use to us on this.”

Thyme shifted slightly, head tilting to the side, but he stayed quiet and never looked up from his own feet.

“We should go to the inn. We’ve arranged for breakfast.” Yuu’s words were clipped and Gray noticed his lips were pressed into thin bloodless lines and his fists were clenched at his side. Gray arched an eyebrow, wondering what had crawled up the rune knights ass. But then these types were almost always like this, weren’t they?

Who could really tell if one just had a stick permanently lodged up there or was annoyed at something in particular?

“Food?” Natsu had been, until that point, face down on the train platform while Wendy patted him sympathetically, but at the mention of breakfast he was on his feet, eyes blazing. “Finally! Let’s go!”

Happy jumped up, wings extended. “Aye Sir!”

With that they took off, pushing through the crowd at the station and out into the streets of the town. Yuu looked startled then, with a frown:

“How will he find the inn?”

Gray sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Flamebrain doesn’t need directions to find food. He’ll just follow his nose.”  

“Interesting.” Hikari said. “I’ve heard a lot about Fairy Tail’s Salamander but...not exactly what I expected. Ah well, If you’ll all follow me we’ll catch up him at the inn I suppose and then we can discuss details.”

Erza fell into step with Hikari, Yuu close behind. The other’s followed, leaving Gray to bring up the rear with Thyme. He glanced at the omega, curious despite himself.

He’d always heard that omegas were wild and crazed, full of barely contained magic and having the kind of scents that could make an alpha’s mouth water and knot swell. Supposed sex fiends and willing to bend over for anyone to sate their needs.

Gray wasn’t sure he bought it.

Every omega he’d ever met (and admitted that was a small number and consisted of only bonded ones) had been a silent waify thing who kept their eyes trained on the ground and responded only to their Alpha. He’d never seen anything wild or caught any scents that were noteworthy. They always seemed pretty plain to him.

Kind of creepy really. Reminded him of Juvia in a way. Silent, standing back from everyone else, just watching and listening.

Thyme didn’t appear to be any great exception to the rule.

He wasn’t entirely sure he got the allure, but maybe that was an element of only encountering bonded omegas? Maybe he just wasn’t meant to find an omega of his own; he’d dated a bit but always betas and he’d never really entertained the idea of seeking out someone from one of the submissive dynamics. Betas were simple and easy; you always knew that you were with a person and not a dynamic. Sex starved omegas, gammas were were perfect in every way, alphas who lost their head when a gamma or omega in heat was near...it was all pretty stupid as far as he could tell.

He supposed he was lucky in that fashion. No one in Fairy Tail made a big deal about that sort of thing or even talked about it. But then there wasn’t anything to talk about; no omegas around of course, Lucy and Levy were gamma but Levy was very  much Gajeel’s and Lucy...well, and some alphas. Sometimes the alphas clashed but who could really tell if it was some angry territorial thing or if it was just the rowdy nature of the guild?  It wasn’t like they fought over potential mates or anything.

Gray didn’t really get _any_ of it.

As if sensing his thoughts the blue haired man’s eyes darted slid over then, seeing Gray was watching him, widened slightly. For a moment Thyme’s eyes were less dull mud and more melted chocolate.

Thyme looked away quickly, a dusting of pink on his cheeks, and went back to staring at the ground. Gray frowned, brow furrowing.

 

\-----

 

They found Natsu and Happy already seated at a table in the inn’s restaurant, food heaped in front of them and a waitress already on her way to the kitchen with a tray loaded down with empty plates. Lucy smiled wry as she claimed a seat next to the pinkette.

“I hope you left enough in the kitchen for the rest of us.”

Natsu and Happy wore identical looks of pride. “Don’t worry Lucy, we asked to be sure they had plenty. There should actually be enough for everyone this time.”

“And!” Happy added. “He said the fish is fresh today.”

Loke flopped into the chair next to Lucy and, with a roguish grin, tossed an arm around her shoulders, hand resting just above the bare skin of her arm. She looked away from him but didn’t try to escape. Not because the feel of his hand just barely touching her skin sent a tingle through her or because it felt warm and safe or anything like that, of course. Not because she was in heat and that dry sandy scent of _Alpha_ made her head fuzzy and thoughts just a little too slow or that he’d sat next to Natsu, quietly draining off the dragon slayers excess magic and it made her think things like _strong protection mate._

Nope. Nothing like that at all.

After all she didn’t need anyone to be strong for her and it was just the heat playing with her thoughts and body. She was just a touch too warm with an uncomfortable dampness between her legs, too tense, too sensitive to the sounds and scents around her and she wished she was back in her apartment, with the world shut out.

But that wasn’t happening so she put in an order for waffles and fruit and let Loke’s arm remain where it was.

Once everyone was settled and served Hikari’s expression turned serious, eyes darkening. “Well, I’ll explain things but I need you all to understand that it’s crucial that, above all else, this is kept quiet. We cannot have the public losing faith in our Omega programs. People entrust us with the safety and wellbeing of their loved ones, allowing us to care for unbonded omegas until mates can be found. Assaults and forced bondings have never been lower than they are right now.”

Lucy scowled but managed to keep silent. She had a lot of opinions about ‘omega programs’ and the latest push to extend the program to gammas. There was never going to be a situation where rounding up a bunch of kids on the cusp of puberty and segregating them from society until they were deemed ready to be given away to become someone else’s property would sit right with her. She didn’t care how ‘well meaning’ the program was.

Did she think forced bondings, something she was willing to admit even she feared, were a problem? Of course. Did she think alphas who bought into the stereotypes and tried to assault omegas and gammas then blamed it on their Dynamic were a problem? Again, of course. But she didn’t think the solution they currently had was the right one.

Of course convincing people that a system that had ‘worked’ for hundreds of years was a crap one was easier said than done.

But she didn't want to get angry. So far Hikari didn't seem like the sort who mistreated her mate or treated him like property. She let him work with her after all and that was rare. Lucy hoped she'd have a chance to talk to the woman once they were done here, maybe get her thoughts on submissive dynamic rights and how the council handled things. She was a Rune Knight so perhaps she was privy to things the general public wasn't. 

“As such we would appreciate if, when asked, you said you were hired by a family member of one of the missing mages. Further there will be no record of this job.” Hikari paused, taking a sip of her water. “The official stance from my department will be that an extremist group ‘liberated’ the wizards. This happens occasionally and usually 90% of the omegas will return in their own time so, finding ‘liberation’ doesn’t suit them. Assuming you are able to locate them and bring them back, that story will fit. It is our wish to avoid any mentions of trafficking or slavery. I need to know this is fine with you before we proceed.”

“Umm,” Wendy started, going pink when everyone’s attention turned to her. “Why do...why do most of the omegas come back?”

“Because in spite of what so called Dynamic Equalist tell you omegas are unfit to live on their own.” Yuu said, rolling his eyes. “Without a proper mate they become dangers to the rest of society and-”

“Yuu!” Hikari’s voice was sharp. Lucy’s hands were balled into fists and it was only that calming hand on her shoulder that kept her from lashing out. Well that and the sudden blazing heat at her side. She looked at Natsu out of the corner of her eye and saw he’d stopped eating and was staring hard at Yuu, eyes ablaze. “That is more than enough.”

Yuu’s expression darkened but, rather than reply, he jumped to his feet, chair screeching over the hardwood floor, then stalked out of the room. Hikari watched him, lips tilting downward, before she let out a very put upon sigh and offered an apologetic smile to Wendy.

“I’m sorry. Yuu had very strong feelings about this subject.”

Lucy let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding then, spearing a chunk of fruit brutally. She knew a thing or two about the liberation groups out there; she’d made it her business to learn all she could back before she’d run away from her father. Knew they would get omegas and gammas away people who would use them like cattle then offer them some kind of ‘better’ life. What kind of life Lucy couldn’t say, since, of course, what happened after was a secret (secret liberation groups and all).

She also had her theories on why most of the ‘liberated’ wizards would willingly re-enter the omega segregation programs. It was all they knew, they get scooped up when they’re barely any older than Wendy was now and told that being an omega was more important than anything else they might have been. From the moment you were labeled and taken your life became about being a proper mate.

It was disgusting, as far as Lucy was concerned.

But. Being taken by slavers was worse. Lucy still shivered when thinking about how she’d meet Natsu. If things had gone differently, if Natsu hadn’t been there to save her from that fake Salamander, instead of being a member of Fairy Tail she (and all those others) would have been taken to Bosco and sold off to whoever had the most jewel, probably one of many in some dark wizards harem. Or worse.

She couldn’t sit around while that happened to others. At least the council vetted people and didn’t allow dark wizards to have access.

She knew Natsu felt the same and was pretty sure that was the only reason the dragon slayer wasn’t burning the building down around them. Yet.

Hikari was still speaking, now outlining what little they knew about the situation. A group of wizards, consisting of 4 omegas, 1 gamma, and their 2 beta guards, had been on the train heading from one of the ‘holding facilities’ near the coast to an event where they would be introduced to prospective mates. There was train malfunction and the group had disembarked and stayed at the inn they were now sitting in. The next day the group left the inn to return to the station but never arrived at their destination.

Hikari and Yuu had done preliminary investigation, assuming it was one of the liberation groups but then the bodies of the two guards had been found a ways out of the town. Liberation groups didn’t kill and, in fact, were mostly nonviolent. With the deaths of the guards it became clear that it must be a trafficking group at work and a group of considerable size to subdue 7 wizards, 2 of whom were trained fighters.

It was decided that, considering Fairy Tail’s strength, they would be a good guild to petition for help assuming some manner of discretion could be promised (not something they were known for but Lucy didn’t mention that.) They were willing to pay 100,000 jewels to each wizard if the wizards were found and 30,000 if recovery wasn’t possible but the culprits were found.

Lucy’s breath caught. 100,000 jewels? Each? That was more than her rent for the month, in one job? With the smaller jobs she’d already done for the month she’d be able to buy some of the keys she’d been looking at! And she’d be saving people from an awful fate!

It was almost enough to make her forget how awful it was to be out during her heat and that she was returning mages to the council.

Almost.

“We’ll also cover all lodging, food, and transport for the duration.” Hikari said, eyeing Natsu with something between amusement and worry. “Within reason, of course.”

Lucy could hear the implied worry that paying to feed Natsu would end up costing more than actually employing them for the mission would. Natsu smiled, showing a hint of teeth; Lucy knew that it was Natsu’s way of saying he planned to abuse that part of the offer. At least as much as Erza would allow anyway.  

“I’ll leave all of my notes and thoughts with you. You’ll have free reign, for the most part but to that end I do have one, or perhaps two, requirements before you accept the job.” Hikari inclined her head towards Thyme, who’d been sitting quietly at her side silently the entire time. “I’ll need you to take Thyme with you. He’ll report back to me, handle any expenses, and you may find him useful in the event fighting is needed.”

“Uh. Huh?” Natsu’s tone was one of disbelief. Lucy couldn't help but echo the sentiment.

“You want us to take your mate with us while we hunt down slavers?”

Erza leaned forward, elbow resting on the table, and frowned. “I can understand why you’d want someone to be able to report the progress of the investigation to you but this is very unusual. You are willing to split from your omega for an unknown length of time?”

Hikari made a dismissive gesture. “It’s not an issue. I loan Thyme out to others often. It isn’t conventional but he’s very good with field work and if I’m not doing field work there isn’t much reason to keep him in Era with me.”

Lucy frowned, unsure what to think of that. There were, currently, no omega rune knights. She also couldn’t think of any guilds who had omega wizards who went on missions without their alpha (Natsu being the exception but that was a secret) so it was certainly strange that Hikari was so willing to let her mate work with others doing stuff like this. But on the other hand it was refreshing to meet an alpha who was willing to let their omega do something other than be breed or provide magic or stand around looking pretty.

“However, and this is the second requirement, one of you will need to take on a temporary bond.”

Lucy’s mouth dropped open. “What?!”

She knew that in some cases a person would temporarily transfer their omega to another wizard but that was supposed to be an emergency measure for cases where maintaining a bond would be dangerous.

“It’s not as serious as it sounds. It’s a shallow bond, really, and the one between myself and Thyme will still be intact, just dormant.” Hikari winked. “But he’ll be most useful to you all this way. He only achieves his full potential when working with a bondmate.”

Erza snorted, expression going stormy. “Oh? Are you sure it’s not for the purpose of keeping tabs on us?”

Hikari’s smile transformed from genial to smug. “You are every bit as smart as they say, Titania.”  

“You flatter me.” The women were both smiling now, toothy sharkish smiles, and a chill ran up Lucy’s spine. She glanced around to find that all of their companions had drawn back from the table and the smattering of other patrons were all looking on in horror. Lucy was positive the temperature around them started to lower and the shadows around the table started to grow longer.

“I don’t understand.” Wendy whispered. “But I’m scared.”

Lucy was as well and, beyond that, she was suddenly less interested in talking to Hikari after this. 

“Eh?” Erza blinked then, all at once, sat up straighter in her seat. Everyone let out noises of relief. “A bond, even a temporary ones, affords certain connections, the most important of which in this case would be the constant transfer of magic along the magical circuit of the bond. With that circuit active either half of the bond could track the other, no matter what manner of distance separated them. It also renders them unable to lie to each other.”

Lucy frowned, letting that sink in, and slowly it became clear to her. “So if Thyme forms a temporary bond with one of us it would allow him, and by extension, Hikari to be aware of our movements at all times.”

The rune knight nodded then spread her hands, “That is the one demand on our part. The council must be confident that you’re acting in our best interests and being honest with us while also staying as uninvolved as possible. This is a compromise between those positions that also works in your favor. Thyme won’t interfere and will in fact aid you.”

“What does he think of this?” Natsu asked, eye narrowing. Lucy could see that he was as unsure as she was on where to fall here. It was a lot to take in at once (Though the idea that the council didn’t trust Fairy Tail was not a farfetched one at all) “Shouldn’t Thyme get a say?”

Hikari raised one shoulder in a half shrug. “Thyme knows what his job is. He’s worked with contracted wizards and guilds before.”

Indeed Thyme looked...bored. His eyes were half closed and his fingers were drumming on the table absently, though he did pause for a moment when Natsu said his name.

“Normally I would give you time to think this offer over but time is of the essence. 7 days have already passed after all and if you find the condition to be unacceptable then I need to find someone else as soon as possible.” Another half shrug.

“I’ll do it.” Gray looked almost as bored as Thyme and a touch scornful as well. “I don’t see what the big deal is. Are you all seriously considering backing out of a job where people might be sold off because of some temporary shallow bonding shit?”

Erza winced then looked away. “A bond shouldn’t be temporary or shallow.”

“And,” Loke added, a hint of a growl in his words. “People shouldn’t be traded around like tools.”

Gray scoffed. “Moralize after we finish the job.”

“Fantastic!” Hikari gestured towards Thyme who pushed away from the table and stood up then walked around to stand next to Gray. “This will only take a moment.”

“Wait-” Erza started to stand but Thyme was already working, hand touching Gray’s shoulder. A magical circle appeared in the air above them and Erza went still, eyes widening. It floated there, a deep shimmering green, then started to fall over the two men, turning an icy blue part of the way through it’s descent.

It hit the ground and Lucy craned her neck to watch as it rested on the floor for a moment, shining brighter, then blinked out of existence. A startled hiss brought her attention back up in time to see the gray bird on Thyme’s neck turning black then extending, losing shape as it crawled down his neck, over what little of his shoulder was exposed, and then creeping beneath his shirt. The mark seemed to form a series of sharp triangular peaks but it was hard to tell considering.

“That was unexpected.” Hikari’s smile dropped. “You Fairy Tail wizards are really something you know? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a temp mark that large.”

Thyme reached up to touch his neck then hissed again. The skin around the mark was already turning a dark angry red.

“Gray is more powerful than you expected.” Erza was on her feet and at Thyme’s side, squinting at the mark. “You should know know the mark is dependent on how strong the participants are. I don’t detect anything out of order with it, but I think it’s going to hurt a while. How long will it last?”

“14 days at the most, but the power will begin to fade from it in 7. I think we can all agree there will be no cause to extend the contract beyond that and I can break it before then if needed.” Hikari stood. “Good luck. Thyme will answer any questions you have going forward.”

They sat in silence until the woman had left the restaurant. Then, slowly with a dark smile twitching on her face as if it were painful to keep it in place, Erza turned her gaze to Gray who shrank back visibly.

“Erza-”

“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?”

Natsu made a huffing noise while standing up then, a frown etched on his face, turned and walked out the way Hikari had exited a moment before. Lucy bit her lip; should she follow Natsu? He seemed fine, a sharp shift from how sick he’d been throughout the night, and she really wanted to hear more about this temporary bond but Natsu didn’t look happy and an unhappy Natsu was dangerous.

“I hope you packed something appropriate for Gray’s funeral.” Loke whispered.

Lucy felt a headache coming on and she was positive it wasn't because of her heat. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Gleefully pushes Natsu closer to the edge* 
> 
> ...but no. We haven't even really started to push Natsu to the breaking point yet. Next chapter though.


	7. I Can't Help But Be scared of It All Sometimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natsu is sick of thinking about bonding so he sets some guy's house on fire. ...more or less. Gray is stupid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay. My mother in law is visiting and real life demands my attention. Real life is the worst. WOOORRRST.

Natsu squinted against the morning sun and shoved his hands into pockets and looked around. The inn was right in the middle of the town’s market area, surrounded by small shops and pubs and open air carts. It was smaller than Magnolia, about a quarter of the size if he remembered right, and only just big enough to be worthy of it’s own train stop. The station itself was small, a single uncovered platform and a small ticket booth, with none of the fanciness of larger towns.

He could smell fresh fruit, just caught fish, and food being cooked when he breathed. There was also the people, mostly sweat, skin, and the unique man made scents they carried.

He stood for a moment, staying still even when Happy landed on his head and called his name quietly, trying to decide how he felt. The train ride had been awful; at first it had just been the usual motion sickness and Erza knocking him out had been welcome since he couldn’t rely on Wendy and her magic to help him. But as the train had raced through the night he’d woken up to find his heat suppressant had worked itself out of his system in record time.

It was the cramps that had woken him up, a pinching radiating pain just below his bellybutton, and soreness in his back. He’d resolved to keep quiet and just deal with the pain, hoping futilely that it wouldn’t get any worse, but soon his thoughts had gone muddy and confused and he’d become soaked with sweat. He could feel his own magic lending to the heat, sizzling just below his skin and waiting for the chance to escape and turn against him.

His magic was, normally, like another hand. It wasn’t a thing he used but it was an extension of who he was, a part of his body that he couldn’t imagine life without, he reached out and manipulated with no more thought that he put into walking or punching a person in the face. But when he was in heat it could become a strange unrecognizable thing. It pulled away from him, trying to slip his control, hungry to escape his body.

His magic was at its strongest when he was in heat, as it was for all wizards of submissive dynamics. The heat was his body saying that it was at it’s most fertile, ready and willing to make and carry a child, willing to accept someone else's seed and magic into his body and so his body pushed his own magic out, trying to make room for someone else. His magic responded by pushing back against his body, fighting to settle back inside so it too could help with the forming of a child, over and over, feeding off of itself in a weird feedback loop and gaining strength constantly.

If he’d been mated to an alpha the alpha would knot him to fool his body into thinking a child might be made and thus distract his body from fighting too hard against his magic. His magic would mostly settle, doing its part to prepare for conception and whatever didn’t settle could be siphoned off by the alpha. Even if actual conception didn’t happen the act of mating was enough to handle the more dangerous parts of the heat. It put the omega’s body and magic back into harmony, for the most part.

But Natsu wasn’t doing any of that so his magic rampaged. The heat suppressant helped, or had, jerking off helped, kind of, and getting incredibly drunk helped (Loki had a theory that his body saw the alcohol as a threat to any potential baby and focused on working the alcohol out of his system as fast as possible, perhaps with his magic helping to speed the process along and during that his body and magic were back in sync) but at the end of everything he’d be sore, exhausted, weaker than at the end of previous heat cycle, and straining to put himself back together before anyone realized how bad off he was.

He’d been lucky last night in that Loki was nearby and willing to take in some of his magic before anything could happen. Natsu was fairly certain he would have been able to keep the fire inside of him under control until they reached the station but he was also positive he would have been exposed. His scent blockers were still in effect, being a 24 hour pill, but the heat he was putting out, the pain he was in, and some of the other physical effects he may have started to have would have been plain.

He would have taken more of his potion but Lucy would have flipped out, yelling at him for taking it before it was time and by the time it would have been okay his mind was too far into the heat haze, thoughts slow and muddled and mostly focused not on hiding or stopping his heat but on the alphas surrounding him. He’d been painfully hard, teased by Erza, Gray, and Loki and even though it was humiliating and disgusting he’d wanted...relief.

He owed Loki, again. Loki helped him but didn’t ask for anything in return, simply took the extra magic and while he couldn’t stop the heat like the potion did, his presence was steadying and helped Natsu come back from that sick primal place his mind fell into.

He hated to owe that perverted cat anything but it was what it was. Loki had sat there for hours, one on Natsu’s throat, right above where the scent gland was, and the other over his stomach.

He hated that he responded to textbook omega soothing points.

He hated that he was anywhere but Lucy’s safe apartment.

But for now he was fine so it was better to do some good while he actually felt normal enough.

Loki had taken on the extra magic and then some plus Natsu had taken a moment to take more of the heat suppressant when he’d gotten to the inn ahead of his friends, ducking into a bathroom to stick more of the bitter tasting potion into his mouth.

He felt like he’d be okay for a while but then who really knew? He was falling apart and trying to push back something everyone else in the world said wasn’t meant to be pushed back. He was starting to doubt himself, something he’d never done before. He’d always believed he could overcome anything, including his body’s constant betrayal but now...now he wasn’t sure.

He’d actually been producing slick, the clear slippery liquid meant to make sex easier, when he’d ducked into the inn bathroom. That hadn’t happened in...a very long time, one of the things the potion was supposed to keep from happening.

Another sign of his body turning against him, fighting back against the potion he used on every front.

It made him angry, yes, but mostly it just made him tired. Fighting against himself was a losing battle, clearly, but what else could he do.

Natsu started walking, muttering to Happy that he was fine. His friend seemed skeptical but glided to the ground and started walking alongside him nonetheless.

“Where are we going?”

Natsu shrugged. They weren’t really going anywhere. He’d just needed to get away from the others and, specifically, that other omega. Thyme was a silent mockery of everything Natsu was struggling to be; a quiet obedient omega who kept his eyes on the ground, exuding that ‘calm’ noteless scent unique to bonded submissives, in some one sided bond content to be passed around like it was nothing.

At first he hadn’t thought much of the other, aside from being surprised there was an omega doing field work for the council, but he’d had other things on his mind. Lucy had been pleased, ready to heap praise on Hikari, but it quickly become clear, at least to him, that the pair weren’t all that different from what Natsu expected of bonded pairs.

Thyme hadn’t spoken once, hadn’t looked up once, and even when Natsu had asked what he thought of the arrangement, of being made to bond with one of them for the sake of the mission, Hikari had answered for him. The other omega was just another vacant pet with strings being pulled by some Alpha, except this pet got to go outside.

A hunting dog instead of a house dog.

It made his skin crawl.

He was glad that Loke and Erza had been unwilling but Gray had thoughtless jumped at the offer, not sparing a thought to what it meant. Natsu wasn’t exactly level headed and often didn’t care much for considering consequences as long as it got things done but agreeing to bond with someone you don’t know and didn’t have a say?

It just didn’t sit right.

But that was Gray. Shit like that didn’t matter to him; he wasn’t interested in gammas and omegas or what the other dynamics had to deal with. He was pretty open about having absolutely no opinion about anything of that nature and today proved that.

He didn’t see Thyme like a person, obviously, but a tool the same way Thyme’s own alpha did and in that way Gray was just like any other alpha. He hadn’t even asked the other omega what he thought about it and instead had just accepted what Hikari had said, taken an alpha’s word over that of the person he was actually bonding with. It probably didn’t even occur to him that maybe Thyme would have a differing opinion.

Natsu stopped, tilting his head slightly as something caught and then tickled at his nose, thoughts of Gray and bonds falling away. He sniffed deliberately, focusing on the faint sickly sweet smell. It was just barely there but now that he was seeking it out he had a good handle on it; he could taste it in the air as well.

Unbonded omega in heat.

Who needed alpha senses when you had a dragon’s sense of smell anyway?

He followed it out of the market area and down winding cobblestone paths until he came to the edge of town and large stone mansion. Happy let out an impressed noise.

“It’s huge! Who do you think lives here?”

Natsu smiled widely, flames flickering to life around his hands. “Let’s find out.”

 

\-------

Gray slumped lower in his seat, trying not to snap at Erza as she yelled at him, listing the dozen or so things he’d just done wrong and the many many reasons it was stupid and shameful and awful. He blinked, blocking out the redhead’s outrage, and turned his face to the omega he was now temporarily bonded to. Thyme was standing behind him, one hand on Gray’s chair and the other worrying over the thick dark marks that now flowed over his skin.

The other man moved his collar aside just slightly and gray could see that the sweeping black marks actually extended not just over his neck but onto his shoulders, simple heavy lines that resembled the feathery end of an arrow, stacked on top of each other with only small slivers of skin showing between each mark. Thyme was wearing long sleeves so it was impossible to see how far down his arm it went.  

The skin around the mark was very pink and raw looking but already it was starting to peel and crack, like a healing sunburn, to reveal new shiny skin underneath. Gray reached up without realizing he was doing it, the mark on Thyme’s neck calling to him like a siren’s song.

Erza’s hand grasped his wrist, holding him in place, cool metal digging into his skin. Thyme looked up from his inspection of himself, blinking at Gray’s hand hovering so close to him then following the line of Erza’s arm up to the furious redhead.

“Gray, don’t just start touching him.” She let go of his hand, frowning sternly. Thyme looked between them, eyes nervous. “It’s rude, interim alpha or not.”

Gray rolled his eyes. “Fine. Are we even sure it worked? I don’t feel anything.”

Well aside from an urge to get his hands on that mark which was strange but not what he’d expected. Not that he knew what to expect since he knew next to nothing about temporary bonds but since the real thing was supposed to be about the binding of souls, hearts, and minds (and some other such romantic nonsense) he’d thought there’d be at least...a tingle.

He’d been braced for almost anything. He’d acted kind of rashly, yes, but he really couldn’t take the talking and debating about what they were willing to do to save people. They’d said they could do it, had all but accepted the responsibility of the mission, knew they were the best and strongest people for the job, and they were going to back down because of some stupid bonding?

Weren’t lives more important than being offended that the council wanted someone to keep an eye on them? Wasn’t the responsibility they’d accepted worth more than some silly ideas of what bonding should be and some temporary bond that would be a distant memory in 14 days?

He really hadn’t seen the big deal and, now that the bond was supposedly in place and he felt absolutely nothing at all, he really didn’t see what the fuss was about.

“It’s a one sided bond.” Erza said tersely. “That’s why you don’t feel anything from it.”

Gray nodded; that made sense. Thyme had his mark (as large and dark as it apparently was) but he didn’t have one in return so following that train of thought it made sense that whatever effects there would be unfelt by him.

Loke was nodding, his arm still draped around Lucy’s shoulders. “All temporary bonds are one sided. Mutual bonds can’t be broken. Or ‘suppressed’ and ‘loaned’ out to other people.”

Thyme winced, expression melting into a distressed one as his fingers went back up to touch the mark.

“Um. Mr. Thyme? I can heal the skin around your mark, if you want? It looks like it hurts.” Wendy spoke up from her seat. Thyme looked at her then looked down at Gray, chocolate brown eyes expectant.

“What? Why’re you looking at me? I don’t care if she heals you, it’s up to you.” Gray made a dismissive gesture. Who was he, the guy’s keeper?

Thyme nodded his head while offering Wendy a small apologetic smile. The air dragonslayer smiled back, standing up as Thyme crossed over to her, then took the omega’s hand. Thyme visibly started, going rigid.

“We’ll go outside. It’ll work better in the fresh air.” Wendy said, already tugging the blue haired man away. Thyme cast a look over his shoulder at Gray, something dark and panicked there. Gray frowned and started to stand as well but Erza was suddenly even more in his space, looming over him as the very air around her seemed to go dark and cold.

“Tell him it’s fine.” Her voice was a threatening whisper.

“It’s fine Thyme, go with Wendy.” Gray squeaked. The omega nodded again then allowed himself to be lead away without protest.

Erza drew back and sat primly in the chair closest to him, smoothing down her skirt. “I know you accepted the temporary bond with good intentions Gray and I know that to you this is all meaningless but it was still very foolish. You don’t know what you’re getting into.”

Gray huffed out his annoyance. “We’re gonna let him tag along while we investigate what happened to the other wizards. He reports back, pays all the expenses, we punch whoever did this in the face, and go home. What am I missing? It’s not even a real bond and we don’t have anything to hide from Rune Knights or the council.”

They’d never hidden any of their property destruction or flouting of council rules before after all and certainly wouldn't start now.

“It’s not about the council.” Erza said. Her face said ‘You are an actual idiot and I’m not surprised but I’m sad about it anyway.’ “It’s about the bond. You didn’t even ask Thyme what he thought about it.”

Gray stared back. “Hikari said it was fine.”

And if she said it was fine and it was something that had happened before who was he to question it. She was Thyme’s alpha after all, surely she knew what her omega did and didn’t want to do.

The face Lucy pulled told him instantly that his response had been the wrong one. “Of course that’s what she said! What was she going to say ‘This is actually a total violation of what bonds should be, but do it anyway?’ ‘Actually Thyme hates being passed around like a hat but ignore that and do it anyway.’ Honestly Gray.”  

“Thyme did the spell for fuck’s sake; if it was a problem he would have just...not done it.” Gray crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the blond.

She glared back. “He did what his alpha told him to. That’s not the same as agreeing.”

“It’s not like he can’t speak for himself.” Gray shot back. “If he had an issue he would have just said-”

Wait.

Actually.

He sat up abruptly, realization striking him hard. “He hasn’t talked once this entire time.”

“A lot of traditional alphas don’t permit their omegas to speak in front other alphas.” Lucy said and there was something sad in her voice. “It’s not that uncommon. Supposedly it’s to keep the omegas from ‘tempting’ others.”

Gray wasn’t sure what to think of that so he decided not to think about it at all. Instead he sighed and shook his head. “You were singing her praises but now you think she’s some alpha who doesn’t let her omega speak and forces him into temporary bonds against his will? Maybe he just doesn't talk.”

Lucy sniffed and looked away. “Like you’ve never misjudged people before.”

“Sure.” Gray might have said more but Loke leveled a look that promised some manner of horrible consequences if he even considered saying anything else to Lucy. When had Loke gotten so scary anyway? “Well. I’ll tell him he can talk all he wants to whoever he wants if it makes you feel any better. I’m not going to do anything weird to the guy and I’m not interested in being his keeper. I just want to save these wizards.”

Of course now he felt kind of guilty about the whole thing. But it was done and in 14 days, at the most, he’d be turning Thyme back over so there was no point dwelling on what he should have done or said. 

Even if the idea of someone not being allowed to talk or voice their own opinion on things made his stomach churn uncomfortably. He knew, of course, that the history of Alpha/Omega bonds was far from a nice or polite thing. Lots of forced bonding, omegas not allowed to hold any jobs or be anything but barefoot and constantly pregnant, omegas being bought and sold like property with no protections, omegas who were abused and treated as little more than animals or pretty decoration and status symbols (Lucy would say nothing has changed in that regard) and alphas taking what they wanted and killing each other in mating disputes. Entire guilds and wizarding families had gotten involved in mating disputes once upon a time and the results were always...unfortunate.

He was very aware of all of that, it was basically mandatory to be aware of that and to understand that the Omega Protection laws were for everyone's protection really and that they did a lot to prevent the horrors that had once been common place. And yet...

He didn’t get a chance to analyze it any further because a man came running in, clearly in a panic. He looked around the restaurant then made a beeline to the counter, where an older man was standing.

“Grell! The mayor’s house is on fire, you have to call the volunteers together to put it out before it spreads.”

“On fire?” Erza said softly, looking around the table. “Where’s Natsu?”

 

 


End file.
